Switch assembly

ABSTRACT

A slide button tool handle electric switch having a reciprocable slide button for actuating the switch. The switch includes means for detachably retaining the slide button in at least one of its reciprocable positions. The switch also includes guide means for guiding and limiting the reciprocable travel of the slide button.

United States Patent 1 Sahrbacker et al.

[ 1 June 12, 1973 SWITCH ASSEMBLY [75] Inventors: Edward V. Sahrbacker,Brecksville; Julius P. Wied, Boston Heights, both of Ohio [73] Assignee:Lucerne Products, Inc., Northfield,

Ohio

[22] Filed: June 1, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 148,512

[52] U.S. Cl 200/157, 200/16 C, 200/166 SD [51] Int. Cl H0lh 15/02,l-lOlh 3/50, HOlh 9/06 [58] Field of Search 200/16 CB, 16 D,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,173,306 3/1965 l-loag200/166 SD X 3,160,718 12/1964 Andis 200/16 D 3,530,319 9/1970 Larkin200/157 X 3,209,088 9/1965 Wanless et al. 200/16 C 3,235,679 2/1966Schaad et a1 200/16 C FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,196,274 7/1965Germany 200/16 C v Primary Examiner-Robert K. Schaefer AssistantExaminer-R0bert A. Vanderhye Attorney-Baldwin, Egan, Walling & Fetzer [57] ABSTRACT A slide button tool handle electric switch having areciprocable slide button for actuating the switch. The switch includesmeans for detachably retaining the slide button in at least one of itsreciprocable positions. The switch also includes guide means for guidingand limiting the reciprocable travel of the slide button.

1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PATENIED 2 FIG.3

r. a T z FIG.6

INVENTORS EDWARD V. SAHRBACKER JULIUS E WI ED ATTOR SWITCH ASSEMBLY Thisinvention relates to electric switches and more particularly to electricswitches having a slide button for actuating the switch.

In prior slide button switches, difficulty has been encountered indetachably retaining or securing the slide button in one or more of itsreciprocable positions. A further problem has been to effectively guideand limit the reciprocable travel of the slide button.

Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a reciprocableslide button electric switch wherein the slide button may be detachablyretained in any one of its reciprocable positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slide button switch ofthe above type having guide means to guide and limit the reciprocabletravel of the slide button.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pushbutton electricswitch that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, andhighly effective in operation.

Briefly, the foregoing objects are accomplished by the provision of aslide button electric switch having a reciprocable slide button toactuate the switch. The switch includes a switch casing, a triggeractuated switch device in the casing, and a contact carrier disposed inthe casing for reciprocation therein along the longitudinal axis of thecarrier. The contact carrier contains a portion of the switch devicewhereby reciprocation of the contact carrier actuates the switchdevice..A slide button is reciprocably positioned on the casing and isoperatively connected to the contact carrier whereby reciprocation ofthe slide button reciprocates the contact carrier thereby actuating theswitch device. Releasable stop means for detachably retaining the slidebutton in at least one of its reciprocable positions is also provided.

More specifically, the releasable stop means includes a slide bardisposed in the casing between the contact carrier and the slide button,whereby the contact carrier slides on the undersurface of the slide bar.The slide bar has at least one prepositioned aperture therein. Biasmeans is disposed in the contact carrier effecting a bias against theslide bar. The bias means has an abutment on its end abutting the slidebar whereby the abutment partially enters the slide bar aperture and isreleasably retained therein by the bias means when the slide button isdisposed in its one reciprocable position. More such reciprocable stoppositions may be added by adding more prepositioned apertures to theslide bar.

The slide button is guided in its reciprocable travel. Morespecifically, the casing has an elongated slot therein adjacent theslide button, and said slide button has a lug slidably disposed in saidslot to guide and limit the reciprocable travel of the slide button.

Thus, the invention provides a simple, economical, effective, electricslide button portable tool switch wherein the slide button may bereleasably retained in any one of a plurality of reciprocable positions.The slide button is guided in its reciprocable travel by the aboveslot-lug structure that also limits the travel of the button.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an electric pushbutton portabletool switch constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

Although the invention is shown and described herein with reference toits application in portable electric tools, it will be understood thatit may be used in any application to control the application ofelectrical energy to an applied load.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms ofdescription, and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in theuse of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognizedthat various modifications are possible within the scope of theinvention claimed.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an electric switch forportable electric motor-driven tools including a switch casing 10, atrigger actuated switch device 12 disposed in the casing, and a contactcarrier 14 disposed in the casing for reciprocation therein along thelongitudinal axis of the carrier. The switch device 12 is disclosed andclaimed in the assignees application Ser. No. 702,272 entitled ElectricSwitch, filed on Feb.

l, 1968, now Pat. No. 3,536,973, issued Oct. 27, 1970.

Such switch 12 will not be further described in detail as the same, perse, forms no part of the present invention.

The contact carrier 14 contains a portion of the switch device 12whereby reciprocation of the contact carrier actuates the switch device.A slide button 16 is reciprocably positioned on the casing and isoperatively connected to the contact carrier 14 whereby reciprocation ofthe slide button reciprocates the contact carrier thereby actuating theswitch device 12. Releasable stop means for detachably retaining theslide button 16 in at least one reciprocable position is provided, nowto be described.

The releasable stop means includes a slide bar 20 which is disposed inthe casing 10 between the contact carrier 14 and the slide button 16,whereby the contact carrier slides on the undersurface of the slide bar.The slide bar has at least one prepositioned aperture 22 therein. Biasmeans in the form of a compressed coiled spring 24 is disposed in thecontact carrier 14 effecting a bias against the slide bar 20. The biasmeans 24 has a spherical abutment 26 secured on its end abutting theslide bar 20 whereby the abutment partially enters the slide baraperture 22 and is releasably retained therein by the bias means 24 whenthe slide button is disposed in such one reciprocable position as shownin FIG. 6.

It will be understood that the slide bar may contain more than one ofsuch apertures 22 to provide a plurality of releasable stop positionsfor the slide button 16 if required.

Guide means are provided for guiding and limiting the travel of theslide button 16 as it reciprocates. More specifically, the guide meansincludes a lug and slot structure on each side of the casing 10 and theslide button 16, wherein the casing has an elongated slot 30 thereinadjacent the slide button, and the slide button has a lug 32 slidablydisposed in the slot 30 to guide and limit the reciprocable travel ofthe slide button.

What is claimed is:

1. An electric switch for portable electric motordriven toolscomprising, a switch casing, a trigger actuated switch device disposedin the casing, a contact carrier disposed in the casing forreciprocation therein along the longitudinal axis of the carrier, saidcontact carrier having a pair of side-by-side, elongate, parallelchannels in the underside thereof, each containing a portion of theswitch device whereby said reciprocation of the contact carrier actuatesthe switch device, a pair of upstanding bosses on the top of saidcontact carrier approximately intermediate the ends thereof andextending upwardly through a pair of parallel slots in the casing, avertically extending bore in each of said bosses and opening downwardlyinto a respective one of said channels, coil spring means in each boreand engaged with a respective switch device to urge the switch devicedownwardly into operative position, a slide button reciprocablypositioned on the casing and having a downwardly extending wall alongthe opposite sides thereof, each wall projecting downwardly through aslot in said casing and having an outwardly projecting guide lug on thebottom edge thereof received in guide slots at opposite sides of thecasing, said guide lugs engaging stop means at the opposite ends of theslots to limit travel of the contact carrier, each of said upstandingbosses on said contact carrier received at their upper ends in a socketon the underside of the slide button to operatively connect the slidebutton to the contact carrier whereby reciprocation of the slide buttonreciprocates the contact carrier thereby actuating the switch device,and releasable stop means for detachably retaining the slide button inat least one of its reciprocable positions, said stop means including aslide bar in the casing between the contact carrier and slide button, aplurality of apertures in said slide bar, a movable abutment carried bythe contact carrier between the contact carrier and slide bar, and biasmeans carried by said contact carrier in engagement with said abutmentto urge said abutment toward and into said apertures.

1. An electric switch for portable electric mOtor-driven toolscomprising, a switch casing, a trigger actuated switch device disposedin the casing, a contact carrier disposed in the casing forreciprocation therein along the longitudinal axis of the carrier, saidcontact carrier having a pair of side-by-side, elongate, parallelchannels in the underside thereof, each containing a portion of theswitch device whereby said reciprocation of the contact carrier actuatesthe switch device, a pair of upstanding bosses on the top of saidcontact carrier approximately intermediate the ends thereof andextending upwardly through a pair of parallel slots in the casing, avertically extending bore in each of said bosses and opening downwardlyinto a respective one of said channels, coil spring means in each boreand engaged with a respective switch device to urge the switch devicedownwardly into operative position, a slide button reciprocablypositioned on the casing and having a downwardly extending wall alongthe opposite sides thereof, each wall projecting downwardly through aslot in said casing and having an outwardly projecting guide lug on thebottom edge thereof received in guide slots at opposite sides of thecasing, said guide lugs engaging stop means at the opposite ends of theslots to limit travel of the contact carrier, each of said upstandingbosses on said contact carrier received at their upper ends in a socketon the underside of the slide button to operatively connect the slidebutton to the contact carrier whereby reciprocation of the slide buttonreciprocates the contact carrier thereby actuating the switch device,and releasable stop means for detachably retaining the slide button inat least one of its reciprocable positions, said stop means including aslide bar in the casing between the contact carrier and slide button, aplurality of apertures in said slide bar, a movable abutment carried bythe contact carrier between the contact carrier and slide bar, and biasmeans carried by said contact carrier in engagement with said abutmentto urge said abutment toward and into said apertures.